World’s oldest person pulls out of Olympic torch relay due to pandemic
TOKYO The world's oldest person, a 118-year-old Japanese woman, has decided not to take part in the torch relay for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics over pandemic fears, an official at her nursing home said yesterday.
Ms Kane Tanaka, who was awarded a Guinness World Record, was slated to be one of the relay participants in Fukuoka, which will start on May 11, said the official.
"We received an e-mail from her family that said she wanted to withdraw from the relay as she and her family were concerned about spreading the virus at the nursing home," the official said at the home.
The Olympic torch relay, which kicked off in March, has been hit by a coronavirus outbreak. Six people who helped with the torch relay were diagnosed with Covid-19, the organisers said on Sunday, bringing the total cases involved in the event to eight.
Meanwhile, Japan is considering extending a coronavirus-spurred state of emergency in the capital Tokyo and other major urban areas, sources said yesterday, a move that could cast doubt on the planned Summer Olympics, which is scheduled from July 23 to Aug 8.
Officials were leaning toward an extension of the measures in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures beyond May 11 as the country battles a virus surge, three sources told Reuters.
International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach is expected to visit Japan later this month, but a longer state of emergency could prompt renewed calls from the public to cancel the Games. - REUTERS
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